Best Local Filmmaker to Luck Out with a Screening at Sundance

John Patton Ford

Staff Pick

Sumter-raised moviemaker and American Film Institute alumnus John Ford wasn’t expecting his new short to be seen much at Sundance. "At most of the big festivals, people don’t go to see shorts," he says. Ford’s film Patrol is only 18 minutes long, so although he was excited to be in the festival, he wasn’t jumping out of his skin. However, Sundance is attended by rabid movie lovers, and Patrol was shown six times. Its first screening was seen by 750 people and word of mouth brought others flocking to it. "It was 10 of the craziest days imaginable,” says Ford. “It was nuts." Since Sundance, Ford has gained an agent and manager; he’s currently writing a screenplay for them to tout. He still hopes to shoot a feature here in Charleston, but in the meantime he has been invited to show his short at many festivals across the country. "I get to see cool movies that haven’t come out yet," he says. "They’re very inspiring."